


A New Place Called Home

by ThereIsNoTragedyInThat



Series: Outlander 2020 Bingo Fills [2]
Category: Outlander (TV)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Fluff, I Don't Even Know, Missing Scene, Outlander Bingo, Season/Series 01, Short & Sweet, trapped in a cave
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:02:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23725768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThereIsNoTragedyInThat/pseuds/ThereIsNoTragedyInThat
Summary: Claire and Jamie get caught in a thunderstorm and choose to wait it out in a cave.Outlander Bingo Fill G1: Trapped in a cave
Relationships: Claire Beauchamp/Jamie Fraser
Series: Outlander 2020 Bingo Fills [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1697500
Comments: 13
Kudos: 56
Collections: Outlander Bingo Challenge





	A New Place Called Home

The air was cool and dreary, clouds gathering in sickly shades of grey to crowd out the sun. A wet breeze moved through the trees, making them shake and shiver in response to the poor weather. If Claire were back home, in her time, the streets would be empty and warm cups of tea would be passed around as the fire was stoked with fresh wood. A wave of homesickness washed over her as she inhaled the chill air, an ache making itself known in her chest.

Except she wasn’t home, not anymore. Things were getting easier…since marrying Jamie and returning to Castle Leoch, but she still found herself waking some mornings expecting to find herself wrapped in thin sheets and Frank’s familiar arms. She twisted their wedding band with an absent thumb, eyes moving to the one on her other hand, a twinge of guilt in her stomach.

Claire shook her head, trying to be free of the morose thoughts. Instead, she focused on the hustle and bustle of the courtyard. The people here were busy trying to complete their chores before the Heavens opened up with a torrent of rain. Tightening her wrap and finding herself grateful for the thick stockings and wool dress, Claire ventured out of the Castle’s courtyard and toward the forest. She hoped to forage some herbs and medicines they were running low on before the rain started, though that was looking increasingly unlikely. Already, her mental list was being cut down to necessities as the clouds darkened and loomed.

Moving as swiftly as her difficult dress allowed, Claire let her fingers skate across familiar herbs, picking them with the ease of practice. At first, she kept an eye on the sky and how far she wandered away, but it was quickly forgotten as she became absorbed in her task. Claire had found, after stumbling into this time, that collecting her plants proved to be one of the few times she could find peace, on her own. It was still difficult to believe most days and she needed these moments to feel real again.

She was just digging out a valuable root when the first sprinkling of rain touched her skin. Blinking rapidly Claire realized the cloud cover was absolute and already the rain was coming down harder. With a groan of frustration Claire dug her fingers into the soil and yanked out the root. If she was going to get soaked, she would damn well have her prize. Giving a cry of triumph she stuffed it into her basket and straightened up only to look around incredulously.

“Shit.”

In the low lighting and the downpour seeping into her layered clothing, she couldn’t make out the path back to the Castle. In fact, it seemed as though she may have stepped off the path at some point. Trying to wipe the water from her eyes, Claire could only make out trees and shrubbery, not a single landmark to be seen.

“Claire!?” Her head snapped around at the sound of a familiar voice calling out to her from dense forest. A smile began to spread across her lips as the uneasy feeling in her gut abruptly disappeared. “Dammit Sassenach… _Claire?”_

“Here Jamie! I’m here,” lifting her heavy skirts and heaving up her basket, she made her way toward his voice and the now distinct footsteps trudging through the bush. A shiver moved down her spine, her hands shaking just a little from the cold rain. This had been a terrible idea indeed.

The trees parted and Jamie appeared looking no better then her. He wasn’t even wearing anything particularly thick to defend against the rain, just a simple shirt and his kilt with a small cover thrown over top. Despite the circumstances and the dark look on Jamie’s face, Claire found herself smiling at his appearance, his hair a tangled mess from the rain and his pale complexion standing out starkly among the forest.

“Hell woman, I’ve been looking for you everywhere, what do you think you’re doing?”

Jamie stomped up and though she expected some stern talking to, instead he wrapped a secure arm around her shoulders and began walking them swiftly in the direction of Castle Leoch. Claire shook her head, held up the waterlogged basket, “I was trying to pick some herbs-”

“In this weather Sassenach you’d be better off-”

“It wasn’t raining when I left,” she cut in. “I was trying to keep an eye on the weather-”

“Lot of good that did you,” he muttered darkly.

Claire opened her mouth to point out that she could hardly control the weather when there was a clap of thunder loud enough to make her gasp as it echoed around them and off the mountains. Not a minute later there was a flash of lightening and she swore she felt the hair on her arms stand up with the electricity.

Jamie’s arm tightened around her as he cursed quietly, abruptly changing direction, “where are we going?” she called, wincing as the wind picked up and the icy rain began to whip harshly against their skin. She was truly freezing now and just wanted the warmth of their home, but it seemed Jamie had other ideas.

“Just trust me,” he called as his arm slipped from around her shoulders and his hand settled in hers. Claire hardly had a choice so with a grimace she let him pull her along at a swift pace, the sky still thundering angrily above them.

Hardly three minutes had passed and suddenly Jamie and she were standing in front of the entrance to a small cave dipping subtly into the side of the towering hill. She must have passed it a dozen times but never noticed the opening, covered by moss and roots as it was. Jamie didn’t hesitate and before Claire could question him about the possibility of something lurking inside, he was forging ahead and dragging her with him.

Stepping inside and out of the rain Claire stared at her surroundings in surprise while Jamie shook his head, sending droplets flying. The cave, to her awe was…clean. The floor had been flattened and sprinkled with colouring pine needles while the walls seemed to have been liberated from the roots that hung so obnoxiously outside. The space, while no more then maybe twelve feet deep and eight feet wide, also held a bed roll and in the corner, a small bundle of stone and sticks that was obviously meant to house a fire.

“Jamie, what is this?”

Chuckling lightly, Jamie offered a wide grin, “this is home, at least until this damned storm is over. Start stripping.”

“What?”

Jamie motioned at the corner where the bed roll was as he yanked off his own shirt, “there are blankets over there, you’ll freeze to death if you don’t get out of that dress.”

He was right, of course he was. Still, Claire found herself grimacing as she began the process with clumsy, trembling fingers. Jamie was kneeling in front of the bundle, strategically placed near the opening so they wouldn’t be smoked out. Apparently, flint had been stored there as well and Claire suddenly didn’t care about the fact she was in a cave in the middle of the woods. She stripped to her shift and pulled one of the thick blankets around her. Maneuvering the bed roll closer to the fire, she settled down and watched as Jamie finished stripping with teasing smile.

Sitting next to her, he wrapped his arms securely around her, another blanket being thrown over his own shoulders. He was just as chilled as she was and soon enough, they were a mess of limbs, dangerously close to the fire that Jamie was keeping a close eye on.

In the quiet of the cave, interrupted only by thunder and echoes of rain against rock, Claire was hit with the realization of how utterly ridiculous this whole thing was. She started to laugh, and it quickly consumed her while Jamie watched on with amused eyes and his own chuckle somewhere deep in his throat. Struck be the sight of his disheveled hair and ever-widening grin, Claire couldn’t help herself and throwing her arms around him she pulled him into a gentle kiss.

For once, Jamie behaved himself, his own hands straying no lower than her shoulders, his calloused fingers running through her hair, wiping at the water on her cheek, her throat. The kiss felt like one she’d been waiting her whole life to feel, slow and loving and happy.

He pulled away after a long moment and Claire found herself empty of the guilt that had clung to her skin like a shroud, even in her better moments. For the first time since tumbling through those rock and landing in a place that was not her own, she didn’t feel like a stranger in a foreign land…she felt like she was home.

“Life won’t ever be boring with you Sassenach, will it?”

“No,” Claire murmured. “I don’t think it will but I’m excited to see how it turns out.”

Something in his eyes seemed to brighten, like an invisible weight had lifted from his shoulders. She supposed that while they had been good to each other…after the business with Randall, it was one of the only times she’d said something even within the realm of acceptance and their position.

“Me too Claire, me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Ahem, I wrote this with a pretty massive headache but I have a schedule to keep so...let me know if there are any atrocious mistakes. Thanks for reading!


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